


Contemplation

by dapperghost



Category: OFF (Game)
Genre: Angst, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Post Game, post purification, suicide ideation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-20
Updated: 2016-02-20
Packaged: 2018-05-21 23:59:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6063019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dapperghost/pseuds/dapperghost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hence nothing remains<br/>except<br/>for our<br/>regrets.<br/>The Judge contemplates his existence, among other things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Contemplation

**Author's Note:**

> sorry i havent written much in a while. lifes been kinda a mess. but recently ive gotten into the game OFF, along with its spinoff/fangame HOME. i love them both very much, and decided to write a fic for the ending of OFF.

He stared out upon the vast blankness of a once colorful sky, perched atop the towering building that once could be called a library. Now it was empty, just like the rest of the world. Just like the rest of all the worlds he ever knew. The batter had succeeded at his task, with the assistance of the guide, the “puppeteer”. Everything was gone. Except for him. 

But...was it gone? As he stared out upon the vast emptiness, he felt as though there was a presence. The presence of someone he once knew. The presence of his brother. He was sure of it. Valerie was out there, somewhere. He just had to call loud enough. Of course! Why hadn’t he thought of this sooner? 

Except...he had. He remembered. His calls wouldn’t work. He was just fooling himself. Nobody had seen his dear brother. Nobody had seen him, and nobody ever would again. Valerie was gone. Along with the rest of the world. And it was all his fault. 

He should have seen it sooner. He should have known that the “pure” intentions of the Batter, as well as his “puppeteer” were far from pure. He was a judge. He was The Judge. He should have known from the very beginning. It was his job to know. To judge the worthy from the unworthy. To protect the lands, albeit the corrupt lands, from destruction. And yet, he failed at this simple task. A choice, a final, singular judgement, and he had failed. 

By the time he had realized his mistake, by the time he had gone to stop it, it was too late. Everything was gone. The Queen. The Guardians. Everything. All that was left were empty zones and a single switch. He knew what that switch did. He had always known. 

And yet, even with the absence of everything, a world void of all life, save for spectres and monsters of unknown, he still could not let them finish their mission. He had to make up for his past mistakes, even if he was far too late. He destroyed the Batter, but why? Nothing remained in this void, save for his own regrets. And of regrets, he had many. 

As he stared out across the void, across this empty landscape that had once been home to many, he began to think. Was it really worth it? Was it worth it to continue to wander this nothingness, with only a broken heart and a single merchant for company? He began to doubt it. 

He turned away from the landscape, bringing a paw to his face. His claws extended, and he studied them. He could end it. All the pain he felt, all the sorrow, all the regrets, he could make it go away. He could wipe out his own life with these weapons, just as he did with the villain who had destroyed the world he once held so dear. Just one clean swipe, and he would join his brother in the nothingness. Maybe then he would feel whole again.

He closed his eyes, raising the paw, when a voice dragged him out of his thoughts. “Pablo?”

He lowered the the paw once more, claws retracting, as he turned to face the source of the voice. “Z-zacharie!” He attempted to hold back the waver in his voice, to no avail.

“Pablo…What are you doing here, my dear friend?” Zacharie asked softly, although he knew perfectly well what was taking place. 

“Nothing... I was just... contemplating our existence, and the reasons for why we still remain in this void. What purpose does it serve, to keep us in this wasteland?” 

“You know just as much the reason for this as I do. I am just a simple merchant, just as you are a simple cat. I don’t see the purpose either. I just know that this is how things are. At least we have each others’ company, though, do we not?” He sat down next to the cat, legs hanging over the edge of the building as he stared out into the beyond. 

“True. We do indeed have that. For as long as that may last…” He turned back to the land, laying himself down beside the merchant. 

Suddenly, he felt himself being pulled onto the merchant’s lap, and he gave a yelp of indignation, before being quelled with a stroking in just the right way. Zacharie always was a good petter of felines. “You know, I would really miss you…” the merchant stated quietly, a slight sigh following his words. He had known what his dear feline friend had been contemplating. It was more than just their existence. “And although you might not realize it, I need you just as much as you need me. A merchant depends on his customers, and who would buy my wares if you were not here to do so?” He added lightheartedly, in the hopes of raising the other’s spirits. 

It didn't raise his spirits, but Zacharie’s words did made The Judge realize something. He couldn’t just leave. Zacharie was just as much trapped as he was, and yet still remained. He couldn’t leave his last remaining friend behind. Even if it meant suffering for an eternity, at least he would have a friend by his side. An eternity together was much better than one alone, which would surely be the fate Zacharie would suffer if he were to leave this mortal coil. It was true. They depended on each other, although not for the reason Zacharie had jokingly stated. It was more than that. Misery loves company, after all, and there was a lot of it in this empty void. Both of them had lost loved ones, as well as the home they had once known so well. They needed each other. They kept each other sane, in a world full of emptiness and madness. And perhaps, somewhere, there remained a hope. A hope that a new world would be built. That things would be good once again.


End file.
